The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has begun a “Public Inquiry” into CPS’s handling of special education concerns in response to a coordinated effort by Legal Council for Health Justice and other educational advocacy organizations and groups representing parents, teachers and principals. As part of its investigation, ISBE will conduct public hearings where parents and guardians can testify or submit written testimony about their experiences with Special Education in CPS. Examples of issues faced might include: The IEP/504 team wanted to include a service or support, but the school said they don’t have authority to make the decision (for example, an aide or extended school year). The IEP/504 seemed to be finished, but then someone went in and changed the plan after the meeting. The computer system would not let the case manager “in” to include or add a service. A student’s transportation was denied or eliminated without the parent/guardian’s consent. A student’s school was determined according to available bus routes. The Public Inquiry Team is looking for evidence that CPS has prevented or delayed the delivery of appropriate services to diverse learners during the last two years. There are three ways to provide evidence: Parents/guardians can contact Legal Council for Health Justice and we will collect your stories as part of our own submission. Please contact us no later than February 21. Parents/guardians can submit their own affidavit. We are happy to help with this; the form at present is difficult to navigate. Individual submissions are due February 21. The Inquiry Team has two days available for in-person testimonies. Individuals will speak for up to five minutes in the order they sign in. All testimony is private. Dates and location below: February 16: Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph, rooms 2-027 and 2-029. Note that you will be required to go through security prior to getting on the elevators to the 14th floor. Please bring a state identification. Time Slot #1: 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Time Slot #2: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Time Slot #3: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM February 21: Center for Conflict Resolution, 11 E. Adams Street from 6 PM to 8 PM. View our letters to CPS Special Ed families here for more information (here in Spanish), or contact Barbara Cohen at bcohen@legalcouncil.org or 312-605-1948. Speak up if your child isn’t getting the learning services they need and deserve....

Dear friend, Our supporters make all the difference in the lives of the Council’s clients. We value our clients, and we value you. This letter is more than an appeal, it’s a call to action! For all our progress over the years—and there is no way to sugar coat this—we are suddenly entering into a dark, uncertain time that will have a negative impact on our clients, as well as millions of Illinoisans. So right now I’m asking for your support—donate, volunteer, speak up—in order to protect the most vulnerable among us. Your support allows the Council to help those who are often least able to help themselves. Because of you, a record number of individuals this past year received free, expert legal help from the Council. Our work has led to major successes, including significantly expanding access to life-saving healthcare and guaranteeing legal protections from discrimination. But we know that the next president and many in Congress wish to repeal the Affordable Care Act, slash funding for social services for the poor, and chip away at civil rights for scores of Americans. These cuts will have devastating consequences for the Legal Council’s clients, so will you stand with us as we fight on behalf of those in need? With the looming cuts and challenges, our services will be in demand more than ever before. To help us continue making a difference in the lives of those who are least able to help themselves, please make a year-end gift of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more. Some additional highlights that are possible because of your support: Our HIV program staff successfully negotiated with the Illinois Department of Public Health to prevent the termination of life-saving insurance premium assistance to HIV-positive individuals. We greatly expanded services to people at risk for HIV seeking access to PrEP, a medication regimen that is highly effective in reducing infection rates. Nationally, 70% of disability benefit claims are denied, while our homeless program has a 90% client success rate. I am so grateful for your support. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to help the nearly 2,000 clients whom the Council will assist this year. No matter what, the Council will continue to stand firm, fight, and never give up. Thank you in advance for your gift. Onward and upward, Tom Yates, Executive Director P.S. If you prefer, call 312-427-8990 to make your gift. Please also volunteer and speak up against bigotry and...

June 1, 2016 Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues: In my first week at AIDS Legal Council, almost exactly 25 years ago, I took two calls back to back. First, a successful LaSalle Street banker told me that after his landlord found out he had HIV, the locks on his apartment were changed, his possessions thrown in the alley, his car tires slashed. Reeling from that conversation, I took a second call. A man needed a simple will to ensure his meager possessions would go to his niece, the only family member who still spoke to him after he was diagnosed with HIV. This second case seemed comparatively easy, until he handed the phone to his nurse – it turned out the man was hospitalized – who explained in hushed tones that her patient wouldn’t last the night. Within minutes I found an attorney at a big law firm who promised to “wipe the floor with that rental agency” (she did, and charged nothing, like so many attorneys over the years). Then the legal director and I jumped on the train to see our hospitalized client. He’d been a day laborer all his adult life. Now he was exhausted and emaciated – there was almost nothing left of him. We completed his will, and as we were leaving he said to me, “I think that’s the only thing in my life I ever finished.” That was a typical day in the early years of AIDS Legal Council. The mistreatment of people with HIV was rampant, pernicious, and widespread. In addition to daily indignities, people with HIV faced extremely uncertain futures. Our clients and colleagues died with numbing regularity. Today, as I’m about to celebrate 25 years as a legal advocate with the Council – July 1 is the official anniversary date – the outlook for most people with HIV is very different. Someone diagnosed with HIV can now reasonably expect a normal lifespan. This sea change is due not only to advances in medicine but, just as importantly, advances in social service advocacy. It’s taken an army of lawyers, paralegals, social workers, case managers, peer educators, activists, and advocates to stabilize the lives of people with HIV, especially when those lives are hobbled by generational poverty, mental illness, and governmental neglect. Without a stable life, you can’t make regular doctor appointments, adhere to a complicated pharmaceutical regimen, or access the medical care that can save your life. Once upon a...

About Us

Legal Council for Health Justice conducts education, outreach, and advocacy to address discrimination, disadvantage, and disparities in health, wealth, and well-being across the lifespan of vulnerable populations. We target people impacted by chronic, disabling and stigmatizing health and social conditions to empower them to lead fulfilling lives, reach their self-determined goals, and secure and plan their futures. Our award-winning medical-legal partnership programs provide highly specialized “legal care” in partnership with health and community providers to protect individual rights and maximize access to health, education, and a responsible safety net.

Over the years, our legal team has been on the forefront of shaping, expanding, and defending against discrimination in every major health care program in Illinois, and providing millions of vulnerable adults and children with access to health coverage and economic security.

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Thank you to everyone who attended our "HIV Criminalization: Beyond Shame & Stigma" event last Thursday, Feb. 15, and thank you to both the audience and our panelists for the informative and important conversation. We hope to see all of you at future community forums! ... See MoreSee Less